Kx Student Programming Challenge: US Constitution Word Count

Announcing the first Kx Student Programming Challenge for undergraduate college developers!

Are you interested in learning how to use the kdb+ database with its built-in programming language q? It’s fast and powerful, especially with really big data sets, and programmers who know it are in demand. Plus, it is available as a free download here.

To get started, check out the tutorials on the Kx wiki, and videos on the Kx YouTube channel, then test your skills for cash prizes and the opportunity to win an all-expenses paid trip to KxCon2016 , which will be held May 19-22, 2016, in Montauk, New York.

This contest asks you to find out how often individual words are repeated in the US Constitution using kdb+.

Hints– The read0 function can be used to read the file
– The data structure used to store the word list can be a dictionary

SubmissionSend your submission to us at . Please write “Student Challenge” on the subject line of your email. Your submission will be judged on correctness and the efficiency of the function you create.

Deadline is April 1, 2016. Winners will be announced on April 25, 2016.

Eligibility
You must be a registered undergraduate student at a university. Please use your student email and provide the email of the registrar at your college.

Prizes
The top five winners will each receive a $100 Amazon gift card and have the option of submitting their names for a drawing. The winner of the drawing will receive an all expenses paid trip to KxCon2016 in Montauk, New York, May 19-22 2016.*

* The winner’s transportation and hotel will be paid starting from New York City.

SUGGESTED ARTICLES

Kx is pleased to announce that Jeffry Borror’s book Q for Mortals Version 3, An Introduction to Q Programming, is now available for free online at code.kx.com here.Q for Mortals serves as both an introduction and reference guide to programming in q/kdb+, and replaces an earlier version. In the latest edition, Jeffry includes expanded real-life applications based on his experience teaching and using q at a large financial institution where kdb+/q has been widely deployed for many years.